30 Years Of Samus: Ranking The Metroid Games

Metroid is one of the few gaming franchises that has been able to not only succeed in both 2D and 3D, but has undeniable classics in both dimensions. Many consider Super Metroid to be the apex of 2D gaming, and each game in the Metroid Prime series is considered to be among the greatest first-person shooters ever made. It's truly amazing how Nintendo has been able to re-invent its franchise over time and keep it relevant in an ever-changing gaming landscape. Today, the beloved series celebrates its 30th anniversary. The original game released August 6, 1986 on the Famicom Disk System, and since then, there have been 10 sequels in the franchise. Another game — Metroid Prime: Federation Force — releases later this month on Nintendo 3DS. And so, to celebrate one of Nintendo's greatest franchises, join us as we take a look back on all of the games in the Metroid series and rank them from best to worst. 11) Metroid Prime Pinball Metroid Prime Pinball isn't a bad game — in fact, its usage of the Nintendo DS Rumble Pak makes it a pretty fun one. The big issue is that it just doesn't really justify its price tag and only features six tables. It does do some pretty inventive things for the genre though, such as adding boss fights and using the fact that it's a video game (and not a physical pinball table) to its advantage. The dual-screen nature of the DS also allows gamers to get a full view of the table at all times, which is awesome. 10) Metroid Prime Hunters Metroid Prime Hunters is one of the most ambitious handheld games ever made. Not only does it feature a full-fledged adventure similar to the Prime titles on GameCube, but it also has a fleshed-out multiplayer mode that even used to support voice chat. Sadly, it's also a Nintendo DS game, which means it comes with a number of technical limitations that really hurt it overall. The biggest issues are the game's controls, which make players use a stylus to aim (or buttons if you're a masochist). It works fine enough in practice (the aiming is almost as fine-tuned as using a mouse), but it just isn't a comfortable way to play a handheld game. Many people have experienced hand cramps after extended play, and back when Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection was around, it just wasn't something people wanted to play for hours online. The single player side also has its own group of issues, such as underwhelming boss fights, and overall the game just doesn't really live up to the expectations that come with the Prime name. 9) Metroid: Other M A lot of people hate Metroid: Other M. I'm not one of them though, as I actually enjoyed what Team Ninja attempted to do here. It's certainly a disappointing follow up to the Metroid Prime series, but as a standalone game, there's plenty of interesting ideas that can be appreciated. Other M is a flawed game that doesn't live up to its potential, but it's definitely not the trainwreck that it's often made out to be. 8) Metroid II: Return Of Samus The sequel to one of the greatest NES games ever was released on the Game Boy. While that might sound pretty underwhelming at first, Metroid II is actually a pretty darn good game. Though Return of Samus is hurt by technical limitations (a Game Boy can only do so much), it does feel right at home with the rest of the series. It also features a unique hook where Samus has to kill all of the Metroids on their home planet – SR388. 7) Metroid The original Metroid was groundbreaking in 1986 for a number of reasons. The game features a sprawling world that players can explore and get lost in, an incredible soundtrack, and one of the most memorable ending sequences in all of gaming. It also features the debut of Samus, one of the medium's most iconic characters. That said, age hasn't treated Metroid that well. It's still worth playing due to its historical impact on the platforming genre, but everything from its design to controls feel rough around the edges. Thankfully, Nintendo realized this and remade Metroid on Game Boy Advance — which I'll get to a bit later. 6) Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Metroid Prime 2: Echoes was a great sequel, but one that felt underwhelming coming after the pure innovation that was Metroid Prime. That said, not every game can reinvent the wheel and Echoes is still a top-notch first-person adventure. Two big things stand out about Metroid Prime 2: the light and dark parallel worlds that continue to divide fans, and its surprisingly fun multiplayer mode. While neither addition will be remembered as the greatest innovations in a Metroid game, credit has to be given to Retro Studios for trying something new and not resting on their laurels. 5) Metroid Zero Mission After the success of Metroid Fusion, Nintendo knew there was still a market for 2D Metroid titles. This led to the development of Metroid Zero Mission, a remake of the original Metroid. Not only does it make the 1986 classic look gorgeous, it also has new content including additional cinematic scenes. This is the way to experience Metroid, as the NES original hasn't aged well. 4) Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Metroid Prime 3: Corruption felt like a proper send-off to the Prime series in its heyday. The control scheme, which uses the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, works surprisingly well, and it's easily the best-looking title of the three. Retro Studios also did a great job of making sure it was the most user-friendly game in the Prime trilogy thanks to a new hint system. 3) Metroid Fusion Many fans were worried about how drastic a change Metroid Prime seemed to be, so Nintendo made sure that all gamers would be happy by releasing both Prime and Metroid Fusion, a new 2D entry in the series, on the same day. November 17, 2002 has yet to be topped as the greatest day in Metroid history, as both games turned out to be among the best the franchise has to offer. Fusion offered up the first new 2D title in the series in eight years, and beyond that, it's just a fantastic follow-up to Super Metroid. It builds upon the series' established 2D gameplay by adding new mechanics — such as grabbing ledges — and remains one of the Game Boy Advance's best games. 2) Metroid Prime There wasn't a Metroid game on the Nintendo 64 for one simple reason — how could the series even work in a 3D space? Unlike Zelda or Mario, there didn't seem to be an intuitive way to translate the gameplay to three dimensions, making it seem like the beloved franchise was going to stay relegated to handhelds. Thankfully, that wasn't the case — Retro Studios did the unthinkable, absolutely nailing the Metroid formula while transposing it into the first-person shooter genre. Metroid Prime was the result of that work, and it was an eye-opening experience back in 2002, feeling like a natural evolution of its 2D predecessors. It brings the space setting to life as Samus explores gorgeous planets, and it's responsible for adding some things that are now recognized as series staples — such as the ability to scan objects. Retro really couldn't have done a better job bringing Metroid to 3D gaming, and the series owes its resurgence to them. 1) Super Metroid While Metroid has been an incredibly relevant and acclaimed series for the past 30 years, I can't help but feel that it peaked back in 1994. Super Metroid, the only entry for the series on Super Nintendo, is as close to platforming perfection that the genre has reached. Not only does it give the player a tremendous sense of adventure, but it also has a great mixture of platform challenges and puzzles to solve. It's also a game that has aged tremendously well. While several titles from that era (I'm looking at you, Sonic the Hedgehog) haven't held up, Super Metroid is just as fun to play today as it was over 20 years ago. It's one of Nintendo's greatest gaming feats and is a game that continues to inspire developers to this very day.